Can anyone suggest places to visit and things to do in the Auvergne, a region of France which interests me. I've been to Clermont-Ferrand and driven from there to Lyon ... beautiful countryside, remote and hilly ... ideal for a bicycle tour, if I could find a tour operator. Any ideas? I've done some basic Googling but I'm hoping someone can narrow down the search.

Perhaps I'm also somewhat under the spell of Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne.

BG, there is a fellow who posted here for a short while (as "man-from-gard") who lives just south (I think) of where you want to be. He is an ex-pat from England. His blog http://alex-in-languedoc.blogspot.com/ is a good one, I read it pretty regularly. He might be of some help!

You can start by going to the top of the Puy de Dôme, the emblematic volcano near Clermont-Ferrand. There is a winding road that gets you there, where you'll find a TV relay, if I remember well, next to the ruins of a Mercury temple. If you pick a beautiful, clear day, you will have a wonderful view of the volcano chains around. If you are really brave, hop on a good byke and push on the pedals... The climb of the Puy de Dôme is one of the famous stages in the Tour de France !

It all depends on what you would like to explore. The nature is usually spectacular, ranging from sharp mountains near Puy de Sancy, to rounded old volcanoes, mountain-top lakes, deep forests, gorges and rivers.

Auvergne is also on the pilgrim's road to Compostelle, and you can admire the Black Virgin in the cathedral of Le Puy en Velay, a small city nestled in a valley, dominated by a big red statue of the Virgin built on a volcanic chimney. Le Puy is also famous for its lentils, and its lace...

And that's just a small part of the treasures strewn everywhere in this beautiful region. And yes, I was born on the Southern border of Auvergne, so I do tend to sing its praises !!!

Thanks folks, good advice to get me going! I also suggested to our bicycle tour guide in Alsace that he might consider putting together a route in the Auvergne (he lives in a very small village in Alsace right up a hill from Gueberschwir and runs his business, "Bicyclette Go (http://www.bicyclettego.com/)" from there)._________________-- BG